Wednesday, May 31, 2006
tv trivia
It's sixteen years today since Jerry Seinfeld's show debuted. Kind of like a baby that's become a teenager. Think of all that's happened in the years we've been watching Seinfeld and all the changes. And of how very much less funny the world was before it began.

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 3:11 PM

Tuesday, May 30, 2006
thought / question
Meandering among various blogs yesterday, someone said something that stirred up the earth around the seed of a question that's been germanating in my head for a while. (I wish I could remember who said what and therefore give credit where it's due, but I'm only sure it was someone on my sidebars or linked by one of them.)

One line of logic about why we should chuck legalize the 'illegal' non-citizens who are currently in the U.S. is that we need them because they willingly work really really hard at jobs the rest of us won't do, or at least we won't do them for low pay, and these non-citizens will work really really hard for very little money. Mind you, I'm not totally convinced all that is true, but for the sake of this particular thought-stream, I'll go along with the idea that there are hideously low paying jobs that lots of white and black Americans simply will not do and/or for those wages. But what happens in fifty or sixty years (or fewer?) when the currently illegal non-citizens work so hard that they have a fair amount of money? (Which is what always happens to the new guys on the block (a/k/a in the country), right? They work like hell, put up with disrespect and lousy working conditions, and then they become part of the middle class.) So . . . who scrubs toilets and cleans operating rooms and mows lawns then? Unless the fundamental structure changes somehow, won't there always be a 'lower' and a 'middle' and an 'upper'? Won't some new group of non-citizens have to come along and take up the slack? In which case, it can't end. In which case, what is the right (not just the practical) answer for now, in 2006??

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Permalink | 1 comment(s) | posted by jau at 3:19 PM

cool news
Very cool new news site. Wrong map of England and more sports news than I need, but that's just me. Awesome idea. Hat tip: A Sweet, Familiar Dissonance.

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 3:10 PM

pondering
Thoughtful and wonderful writer Random Jottings made reference to Pope Benedict's visit to Poland and quoted the pontiff's enthusiastic comments to the young people in his audience. The quote and subsequent discussion about what the Pope might have meant - and what such soothing lofty words might mean in general - interest me so I thought I would mention it here.

The Pope said that in every young person's heart "there is a great longing for a proper house, a stable house, one to which he can not only return with joy, but where every guest who arrives can be joyfully welcomed. There is a yearning for a house where the daily bread is love, pardon and understanding. It is a place where the truth is the source out of which flows peace of heart. There is a longing for a house you can be proud of, where you need not be ashamed and where you never fear its loss." I suppose I agree with this, but it's not a huge stretch to be able to identify that many young (and old) people want such solace and comfort. The difficulty for me begins with the following comments: "These longings are simply the desire for a full, happy and successful life. Do not be afraid of this desire! Do not run away from this desire! Do not be discouraged at the sight of crumbling houses, frustrated desires and faded longings. God the Creator, who inspires in young hearts an immense yearning for happiness, will not abandon you in the difficult construction of the house called life...."

I've probably been exposed to too many pious and judgemental Catholics and others, so I apologize but I can't help feeling this is part of the "stiff upper lip" and "God only gives you the suffering you can tolerate". I really do wish I believed in an active, good and loving God who cared and watched over each person.
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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 1:20 PM

Monday, May 29, 2006
memorial day - more thoughts
-events today in Washington, DC.
-3:00 p.m. the national moment of silence in remembrance
Seablogger recommends Christopher Hitchens' reflection on Memorial Day. Furthermore, Alan Sullivan's own post this morning is thought-provoking on several fronts - his father, Abraham Lincoln, George Bush, the Civil War, Saddam Hussein, to name but a few. Don't miss either.

Everett Alvarez was the first American p.o.w. in Vietnam. His book, Chained Eagle, details his experiences as a p.o.w. in Vietnam from August 5, 1964 until February 1973. C-Span broadcast his recent appearance at the Library of Congress and what an upbeat, humorous, somewhat wise man he is. May we all accept and learn from our own travails as he has.

The President delivered a rousing and thoughtul commencement address at West Point on Saturday.

DADvocate writes affectingly about his former landlord and WWII veteran, Tex McDonald.

George Washington's granddaughter was married to Robert E. Lee, the eventual leader of the Confederate Army; Lee refused a commission to the Union Army saying he couldn't possibly fight against his beloved State of Virginia; during the Civil War, the US government (the 'North') appropriated Lee's wife's 11,000 acres and home in Arlington because they wanted to bury soldiers there; although Mary Lee died before she made a decision about what to do, her son sued the government for unlawful seizure; the Supreme Court ruled in his favor and awarded him a significant amount of money; he promptly deeded the land back to the US for burying soldiers and others. PBS last evening re-aired the National Geographic's portrait of Arlington National Cemetery and it is being aired around the country today, as well, at various times. If only for the details about the intense training of the amazing guards, it's more than worth watching. Both historically and emotionally engrossing, it is another fascinating and complex piece of our story.

Via Dadvocate, GM's Corner with some marvelous photos and all of Rudyard Kipling's poem, Tommy.

DevraDoWrite's reprise of a wonderful essay about Taps.
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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 8:28 AM

Sunday, May 28, 2006
commerce
My blogfriend, DevraDoWrite, has a quick thought about consumerism today. She cites a comment by a reader of another blog, to the effect that our culture fairly bulges with advertisements for lots of things and that those of us who buy those things are contributing to the advertisement/consumer culture. I suppose there's truth there, but like much of the world in 2006, it's simply here to stay no matter how much we might prefer the fourteenth century. Monks are cuter than computers but no one is seriously suggesting documents be produced by them. Horses are prettier than tractors but tractors are here to stay for large farms. Starbucks makes coffee that many of us like, and some of us like their stores, too. Realistically even if whole bunches of people stopped patronizing Starbucks because of social consciousness, the zillions of the rest of its customers would still be there. I imagine that DDW asked about stopping going to Starbucks with her tongue at least slightly in her cheek, but I want to say that I believe wholeheartedly that we can effect change, we just need to be realistic and figure out how to modify or change what we want to, without trying to ignore what is here to stay.

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Permalink | 1 comment(s) | posted by jau at 10:58 AM

Saturday, May 27, 2006
memorial day - remember
Photobucket - Video and Image HostingI always have conflicting feelings on Memorial Day. One part of me mutters about how ghastly war is. Killing in the name of religion or nationality is simply flat-out nuts and wrong. Another part of me counters that nothing else has been as successful in making political or government changes. Remember our own radical demand for self-government. Every Memorial Day weekend I ponder alternatives to war, and maybe I've missed it, and I loathe it, but I have never heard of an effective or practical non-military way to achieve results like those sought by disputants in altercations such as The War of the Roses or the American Revolution or World War II. Have you?

Here are my links about the occasion. I'll add more as the weekend goes along, so let me know yours.

-Wide Awake Cafe's "Remembering C.C."
-Wizbang's tribute and collection of links
-LeShawn Barber's tribute
-Chuck Simms' "Where Have All the Heroes Gone?"
-Isaac Asimov's essay on The Star Spangled Banner
-Rogers Wade's tribute
-Ralph Bennett's "Go and Find a Soldier's Grave"

On this Memorial Day weekend on 2006, while we enjoy our days off, if we are fortunate enough to have them, and our barbeques and our family get-togethers, if we are fortunate enough to have them, let's take a few moments off and on over the days, to send thoughts of thanks to the soldiers who have made it possible for us to enjoy our time and food and families.
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Permalink | 1 comment(s) | posted by jau at 8:38 AM

Friday, May 26, 2006
questions
What do the words "authentic" and "real" mean to you? There's been an interesting discussion over at Alan Sullivan's Seablogger recently. Both words mean specific and important things to most of us but I'm curious to know what others think.

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 2:06 PM

Wednesday, May 24, 2006
idol5 final final
The main thing that struck me tonight was how rich and interesting the girls sounded and how uninteresting and amateurish the boys sounded. All that crap that Randy laid down at the beginning of the cycle about how wonderful the boys were.... He wanted the boys to be wonderful but they were not. The Emperor's New Boy Singers. The boys were actually off key a lot of the time all season and especially tonight. Even the loud cheering and glamorous clothes couldn't mask that the boys just plain sounded worse than the girls.

I was watching tonight with a friend who hasn't watched most of this season and for the first hour she kept saying how awful everyone sounded, and then the six girls came out in those bright red dresses and sang the pants off everyone else. (Well, okay, Dionne Warwick sang the pants off everyone else, but you know what I mean. And while we're on the subject of Dionne Warwick, what crazy photo and tape recording do you suppose she has in her attic that she looks and sounds so terrific, forty-five years later?!) Didn't you think it was weird to hand out trophies for the most idiotic auditions in a show leading up to honoring someone's good performing? I guess that's part of the less-than-high art that some people loathe about AI. But all in all, it was an interesting experience and I'll definitely do it again. Besides, as my friend pointed out when Prince performed (he who said "never, I'll never contribute my talent to them!"), it is a whole lot of fun to see the holier-than-thou performers sidle up so they can reap some of the popularity and financial benefits of the AI phenomenon (~200,000,000 people watching on one night).

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Permalink | 1 comment(s) | posted by jau at 11:06 PM

books and $$
Those who read John Dunning's stories know that book collecting can be mighty lucrative. (I just began the latest, The Sign of the Book, and like all his stories it is absorbing, fun, interesting and well written.) Now abebooks.com has ratcheted up the intrigue by publishing a list of the ten highest prices for books sold (presumably) this year and the prices are astonishing. As if Dunning's books don't make me start reviewing my own books anyway. Got a first edition of Harry Potter lying around?!

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 9:45 AM

Tuesday, May 23, 2006
idol5 final, part 1
Oh boy oh boy. My first idol final. But listen, since they both have record contracts, what exactly is the point of picking a winner? What will he or she get that the so-called loser won't? More promotion, I suppose, plus the hip-hip-hooray factor, but I'm not sure it matters. It's a choice between a slightly paunchy slightly goofy lounge singer (did you SEE the purple jacket and silk chantung tonight?!) and a slightly goofy gorgeous-hair-beauty-pageant contestant who sings fantastically in low registers but keeps singing trills in high registers instead. And what was with Simon's mismatched grays (t-shirt and jacket)? And why do Randy and Paula keep talking about the "bad song choice"? As if the kids choose their own songs for goodness sake! The contestants should start saying "tell that to the producers!!!" instead of nodding pleasantly. Yeah, and I'll be tall thin and blonde in the morning. Anyway I hope Katharine wins because (a) I find Taylor silly, throat-singy, boring and monotonous and (b) I like Katharine's voice, although I wish her facial expressions were less superficial, and I like how she moves around a lyric. Wednesday night's show promises to be a good old fashioned variety show what with all the people coming (to perform?). Could be loads of fun. And the winner, tie though it really is, is . . . .
My prediction:
Taylor
Dial Idol's results:
1. Taylor
2. Katharine
My choice:
1. Katharine
2. Taylor
Actual results:
Taylor

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 11:55 PM

recommendation
I highly recommend The Anchoress' long post this morning. For those who think President Bush is evil, it is a rational and calm summary with neither rancor nor excess of what some think he's done that is good. For those who respect and admire him, it's a satisfying and good read.

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 10:57 AM

all the news (?) that's...
The second lead on the front page of today's NY Times is a long piece about Bill and Hillary's marriage complete with a gooey picture of them snuggling for the camera. I know the Times loves to cover them and I know she is probably a presidential candidate in the near future, which means they're coverage-worthy people, but how does a story on their marriage qualify as a news story in any way, shape or form? People magazine, sure. The Star or the Inquirer, sure. Even NY Magazine. Even the Metro or Style sections of the Times, if they're just yearning to print it. But the front page?!

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 9:38 AM

Monday, May 22, 2006
great classes
I spent almost the whole weekend in knitting classes taught by Judy Pascale. I signed up last week for the first one (sizing and fitting). On Saturday morning, after about two minutes, I'd already learned several different and interesting techniques so I signed up for the afternoon class on armhole sizing and fitting. And learned a lot and enjoyed it. Then, I debated whether to take the Sunday beading class - wanting a day to myself and for errands. But my friend pointed out that it's awfully rare to have someone teach who actually has things to impart and in an interesting and fun way. So I went back today for four hours of beading and fun! Judy has an unusual way of putting in the beads and you don't need the eyesight of a 10-year-old nor the patience of a saint to string millions of beads ahead of time and then fray the wool as you push off the ones you won't use as you go along. Her way is to do it on the fly. And it works!! Plus, her designs for scarves and bags are charming. As a teacher, she sets goals as well as challenges and I really did learn several tricks and tools that I will use a lot. (The ones about the cable cast on are great!) I'm most grateful and very excited to get going on new and improved projects now.

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 1:27 AM

Sunday, May 21, 2006
5/21/1945
It's Lauren Bacall's and Humphrey Bogart's 61st wedding anniversary. Happy memories to them - and to us!

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 9:55 AM

Thursday, May 18, 2006
idol5 and politics
I don't mean to be obsessed by this but since the media are, why not me too. Anyway, Good Morning America just did a piece about how the AI winner comes down to politics. Aside from thinking this is making waaayyyyy too much of everything, taking it all much too seriously, I found it weird. They compared Hicks (Southerner, gray hair, gyrating soul-ish singer) to Bill Clinton (Southerner, gray hair, occasional gyrator and saxaphone player) and McPhee to a generic politician (kissing babies (her goddaughter), greeting crowds at her high school and the mayor's welcome). I didn't think these seemed like campaigns but like relishing their more-than-15 minutes of fame. GMA concluded by saying that Simon Cowell is the ultimate determiner, which seems logical given that he's one of the producers, but he predicted Pickler and Daughtry would be finalists with Hicks - so much for his accuracy. He also compliments McPhee's voice all the time and derides Hicks. What are your theories?

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 7:50 AM

Wednesday, May 17, 2006
idol5 (and then there were 2)
Well, goodness gracious, heavens to murgatroyd, golly golly miss molly. Turns out that Elliott is going home. I really thought the groundswell the last few weeks would put him into the finals. He's a gracious and decent guy and I wish him all the best. He'll definitely do fine, much better than he would have before this adventure. A real American story, as a matter of fact.

As for the other two, my 20 weeks (yikes) began with thinking Taylor would win it all after he came to the results bouncy and playing his harmonica. Aside from Melissa McGhee and Mandissa, after a while I thought Katharine would win it all because I listened to her and really liked her voice most of the time (except when she smiled inappropriately or bounced her hair once too much) and I realized I'd consider buying a cd of hers. A while later I thought voters would reject Taylor cuz of the gray hair and his age, but I admired him for not darkening his hair or sucking up to teenieboppers. Then I thought voters would reject Kat for her gorgeousness and cheeriness but I admired her for not trying to be sultry and moody just to satisfy the grousers. Bottom line: I have no idea who will win. Taylor has a huge fan base but Katharine's singing voice is better and, as that fella Simon says often, it's a singing contest! On to next week....!

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 10:11 PM

Tuesday, May 16, 2006
idol5 (3 > 2)
Down to two after tonight's voting and tomorrow's results. I feel as if I'm coming to a graduation of sorts, this being my first Idol year and all! Clive Davis, the eminence gris of record producing, certainly said germane things about each one, but the judges made BY FAR the best song choices tonight. I suppose that makes sense considering how closely they've been listening to everyone for weeks and weeks. I appreciate Elliott's rise but I just don't like his voice enough to see him in the final next week. And I would guess that the producers would like a boy/girl final. But maybe not. I'm looking forward to seeing what the blogs say and whether they agreed with me that Elliott was off key and off tune or whether they just dislike Katharine too much to get over it.
My prediction:
I'm too unsure about
the reasons people vote to
attempt a prediction.
Dial Idol's results:
1. Taylor
2. Katharine
3. Elliott
My preference:
1. Katharine
2. Taylor
3. Elliott
Actual results:
1: Taylor
2: Katharine
3: Elliott

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 10:13 PM

whew
The vitriol, the anger, the passion! I'm not talking about Tom Cruise but current politics. On the one hand, people who disagree with current immigration policy or even some of the new proposals practically foam at the mouth with their feelings. On the other hand, the NYTimes prints an op ed piece positively effusive in its praise for the President's strong and well-enforced international human trafficking program. Can't there be rational discussion about the issues where there is disagreement??

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 10:40 AM

Monday, May 15, 2006
rain rain
One, two, three . . . I wonder how many more days until 40? Seriously, what's the smell that happens near rivers when it's been raining a long time? One rumor is worms, which is pretty disgusting, but I'm guessing it's not pleasant, whatever it is.

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 9:25 PM

Sunday, May 14, 2006
mother's day
Google's "today's quotation" from G.K. Chesteron:
By a curious confusion, many modern critics have passed from the proposition that a masterpiece may be unpopular to the other proposition that unless it is unpopular it cannot be a masterpiece.
My father was a jazz and literary critic who wrote Two Worlds of American Art: the private and the popular in which, as you can tell from the book's subtitle, he bore out Chesterton's point. Even in person, every day, he would praise some artistic endeavors as "1st class" or "magnificent" and dismiss others as "trash" or "second rate". Thank goodness for what little adolescent spunk I could summon, and for blankets and flashlights, or I would never have experienced the delights of Nancy Drew and Cherry Ames, among other "trashy" joys. I completely stopped reading for a while, except for required school assignments, because I was judgmental about "bad" books, on the one hand, and only interested in them, on the other. Shortly after I got married, my husband and I found ourselves unprepared for an airplane trip and therefore without reading material. We found the airport store and he eagerly grabbed a Helen MacInnes story about Venice and asked me something along the lines of what did I want. I said a father-mimicking version of you must be kidding, I wouldn't read this junk. Knowing that it had been a long time since I read just for fun, he casually suggested I buy the junkiest book I could find. I scanned the over-wrought cover art and selected Peyton Place. I totally loved it and went on to read all of Grace Metalious's books and have been reading all kinds of both 'trashy' and 'good' books ever since, voraciously. So today, Mother's Day, my thanks to Chesterton for giving me a chance to remember, and to my children's father because of whom I stopped judging in such foolish ways and because of whose union with me and co-production of two wonderful people, I feel graced and loved today.

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Permalink | 1 comment(s) | posted by jau at 4:36 PM

mocking freedom
Terrific post by the redoubtable John Weidner on the ridiculous resignation at Boston College due to Secretary Rice's speaking at commencement. There are three very important points to make about this:
1. The resignation absolutely mocks free speech by suggesting that only what certain people think should be given a forum such as commencement at a major university.

2. A university is "an institution of higher learning" and as such is supposed to be a forum for exchanging ideas as well as learning to think and speak intelligently. Denying students and anyone else who might be in the audience a chance to hear the U.S. Secretary of State would deprive them of an unusual opportunity to hear such a powerful person, in person, and then to apply their own critical thinking to what they have heard.

3. "Lyle" commented to the post and I'm including his comments here because I would have liked to say these things just like this because when one thinks about all these things carefully and logically, it turns out that the conclusions many have drawn might best be reconsidered:
"There is something bizarrely immature about the insistence that Bush Lied, Cheney Lied, Rice Lied, et cetera. [This] presumes daddy-like omniscience on the part of the administration. Even if Bush administration statements on WMD and al Qaeda were wrong, they were based on assessments made by the world's intelligence agencies. Critics evidently believe that US officials have supernatural access to the truth, beyond anything the CIA or NSA can provide. Making an educated but mistaken guess in an environment of uncertainty is not lying. Believing flawed intelligence is not lying. No rational human should need to have this explained to them.... Worse, now that captured Iraqi documents vindicate suspicions about Saddam's WMDs and ties to al Qaeda, Bush critics are unable to absorb the new information. Ironically, it turns out that they themselves have been relying upon incomplete data and bad analysis. By their own definition, they are now liars.
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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 9:32 AM

ie
For various reasons, I use Internet Explorer instead of Firefox. Of late, a few sites make my pc grind, groan and then shut down. I don't know if lots of graphics does it or many java scripts or what, but I feel bad for the computer and it's darned annoying.
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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 8:45 AM

Saturday, May 13, 2006
idol5 (fueling the chris-is)
The fuss over Chris Daughtry's being voted off on American Idol just seems nutty. It's a singing contest, for heaven's sake, not a contest for anything actually important that will make a difference in any substantive way (unless entertainers and celebrities are much more important than I realize). I thought Chris was a little unctious and had a weak, throaty, trembly voice, and I kinda like an apparently 'predestined' winner being voted off, but maybe that's just me. Plus, Daughtry almost certainly already signed a promise-to-sign-when-it's-legal-because-of-the-commitment-to-AI-producers note with Fuel or some other group, so it's not as if people won't be able to see and hear him all they want. Plus, either AI voting is straight or it's not but that's been true for five years. (Hey, I thought Melissa McGhee had by far the best voice this year and it's entirely possible the producers stacked the votes, but it's an entertainment show designed to drum up interest for several people with whom the producers sign contracts so that viewers will buy cd's (or whatever) and go to concerts.) Amuse yourself with Robin Givhan's snide observations about the remaining three, John Podhoretz's less-than-usual-intellectualizing amusing essay, The Anchoress, Althouse, and The Wide-Awake Cafe. Would you believe there's a petition demanding a recount and claiming votes were deliberately misdirected. Get a grip, people. AI is a television show and Chris Daughtry is a singer (which he seems to realize).

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Permalink | 1 comment(s) | posted by jau at 9:05 AM

Friday, May 12, 2006
kooky kinky
Kinky Freedman, he of bunches of witty mysteries, is running for governor of Texas. To raise funds, he has t-shirts ("May the God of your choice bless you") and an action figure doll that says several things including "I'm running for governor, not god". His (cute looking but technically sluggish) website is definitely worth a visit and I recommend watching an interview if you chance upon one. I have no idea whether he'd make even an adequate governor, but his candidacy is certainly thought-provoking and fun.
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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 11:23 PM

Thursday, May 11, 2006
snow in may
After all of three days on the job, Tony Snow is actively responding to what he sees as inaccurate coverage of the Administration. We're in for interesting newspaper and television coverage!

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 7:25 PM

Wednesday, May 10, 2006
speaking
What's the deal with free speech? How come students at the New School and Boston University are furious at the senior class's invites to John McCain and Condoleeza Rice, respectively, to give their commencement addresses? Both McCain and Rice are calm, rational and interesting. If they hold points of view or have opinions that seem different from mine, I still would love to hear them speak. Where's the percentage or even the fun in listening only to people with whom you know you agree??

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 8:51 PM

Tuesday, May 9, 2006
idol5 (4 > 3)
Tonight was weird. Simon chastised Katharine for the bad arrangement - as if she wrote it, duh. (When he says stuff like that, is he actually addressing the producers or talking to hear himself speak or trying to stimulate sympathy votes or what....?) Anyway, DialIdol amazingly shows Chris in last place (which is fine for me cuz I'd boot him because he yells and screams way too much and probably already has a contract with Fuel or someone). Indeed, his voice was reedy and shaking. As for Katharine, the key she sang in at the taped session with Matolla - where she sounded torchy and interesting - changed a whole lot higher and screechier for the show. (Maybe the producers want her to go? Did she look so sad because she was told to lose? Who's a cynic and a conspiracy theorist . . . who???) Joker's Updates says Matolla is starting his own label. He's kinda creepy but he knows talent and the only one whose voice he complimented was Katharine (in the lower register, of coruse) but Joker's thinks he was wooing Chris. Taylor gets points for keeping his hair gray and sticking to his own antics despite Simon's disdain but it does get a bit tiresome although his upbeat-ness is fun. Elliott has grown by leaps and bounds but he's so boring; could he attract ticket-buyers in the thousands? Even randy Randy and poopie Paula couldn't work up much enthusiasm for anyone. Sending Katharine home would be a big mistake for ratings, I think, cuz an all-boy final would be boring as heck. (And, by the way, what was with the three-piece suits???)

Dial Idol results:
1. Taylor Hicks
2. Elliott Yamin
3. Katharine McPhee
4. Chris Daughtry

My preference:
1. Katharine
2. Taylor
3. Elliott
4. Chris

My prediction:
1. Taylor
2. Katharine
3. Chris
4. Elliott

Actual results:
1: Taylor
2: Elliott
3: Katharine
4: Chris

Update: Amazing. I am amazed. DialIdol nailed it and my choice for who went home was met. The apparently 'chosen one' is off. My guess is he didn't really want to win because he prefers to be a rocker and figured AI isn't the hip cool thing to win so he'll be off to Fuel or Matolla before we can say end of summer. Why else the sudden nice dressy jacket and awfully calm face when it was announced? So onward - it's an actual contest now.
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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 10:14 PM

Sunday, May 7, 2006
h is for happy
I love to knit and crochet, am beginning to love weaving (under the tutelage of Peg at Expressive Weaving in Cornwall), and occasionally work quite obsessively while immersed in a project. But when it comes to the final tucking in of all the yarn ends or sewing the last seam or filling the pillow, I'm oddly lackadaisical (resistant?). So Iam very happy to report that last week I finished and sent off two projects: (1) my lovely daughter-in-law's birthday spring-weight poncho in Rowan summer tweed (the color is 'raffia' though it's more taupe and green than the photo shows) and (2) a no-particular-reason kimono-style sweater for which I found the cutest buttons at Yarn Central in Hopewell Junction. I designed the poncho with two panels in a left-and-right slightly twisting trellis lace and two panels in feather-and-fan, so it looks ok with any panel front, back or sideways, and giving the bottom edge a pleasant curve. Next I'll try it in a lighter yarn and see how that looks.

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Permalink | 2 comment(s) | posted by jau at 3:29 PM

who knew?
Marilyn Johnson's "Dead Beat" showcases many of the world's wonderfully fascinating, hilarious, fabulously informative obituary writers. I learned about the book in an appealing interview conducted by Washington Post obit staffer writer, Adam Bernstein. I checked out her website only to learn that there is an association for people who write and/or enjoy obituaries. What was a bit more surprising is learning of their upcoming annual meeting in Las Vegas in June, the website for which begins by saying that "[i]f you are a journalist, a historian, a genealogist, an anthropologist , a mystery writer, a journalism educator, a hospice provider, a funeral industry professional or an aficionado of the obituary, this conference is for you." I suppose none of this should surprise me since I have long known that obits are unmatchable and extraordinary resources. It is a always joy to learn about the amazing human beings who shape the world, from wars to books to playdoh to shopping malls to tweezers.

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 11:17 AM

mem'ries
I've talked about it many times, but last week Better Living Through Blogging went and wrote about The Electric Company (read it here), pointing out that "some of us knew that The Electric Company was the ultimate in cool. TEC was hip, before we knew what 'hip' was." How true!! I still hum about the O rolling over the mountains, and my rich uncle who died and left me all his mmmmm.

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 10:57 AM

Saturday, May 6, 2006
accuracy
The always interesting devradowrite had a blog birthday recently - happy day for us all and happy blogiversary to her! She has been discussing accuracy in reporting and writing (one piece is here), partly because of major inaccuracies in an article about her husband, John Levy*, which prompted me to think and write about the same subject.

The internet is undeniably a welcome and awesome tool that allows us to learn far more than we otherwise might, and to get it right at our fingertips. But it also can perpetuate mistakes logaritmically with no way of correcting them. When my father died, for example, an online columnist referred to him as Arturo Toscanini's son, and there is a connection in that my father's father was Toscanini's highly regarded concertmaster. But we are not related. I wrote an email to the author but never received a reply. And a few weeks ago I found more references to my father being the son of Toscanini. Yes, it's multiplying and one day perhaps will simply be "fact". Annoying, amusing, irrelevant in many ways, but not a good thing. I have no idea what the solution is, but the perpetuation of errors will become a serious threat to accuracy and truth as time goes on.

Devradowrite attributes the problem to journalists' inexperience and youth. I don't think that's it, unless one assumes all inexperienced and/or young people are irresponsible and lazy because I think irresponsibility and laziness are the core problems. Lazy research means if you see something once, you accept it without question. Irresponsible journalism means you don't check and double- and triple-check (all that time and effort). Sure, inexperience may play a part because it takes experience to develop instinct for what's what (the proverbial "nose"), but stories about John Hall or my father wouldn't necessarily tap into anything instinctive anyway. Importantly, behind all this is horribly bad training in school and at the papers or wherever the people work, plus lots of sloppiness and laziness. I almost wish it were simply that young people are sloppy and lazy, because then we could only read writers who are over 45. In fact, of course, many young writers are wonderful and responsible, and some are not, just like us old folks.

*Ironically, I originally called DDW's husband "John Hall" whereas he is actually jazz bassist-turned talent manager John Levy and her father is jazz guitarist Jim Hall. Apologies extended and corrections made.

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Permalink | 1 comment(s) | posted by jau at 10:30 AM

Friday, May 5, 2006
history + repetition
What a week. Keith Richards climbed (well, tried to climb) a palm tree and fell out (surprise) and got a concussion which apparently caused a hemorhage. Next, Patrick Kennedy (Congressman from Massachusetts and son of Super-Duper Driver and Responsibility Escapee Ted, in case you don't recognize the name) had two car crashes in less than four weeks (not one: two). Richards faced his consequences in that he's being operated on and probably doesn't feel very good. Kennedy evaded all consequences other than ridicule. On April 15, he crashed his car but drove home - no tickets being issued. Late on May 3rd, he drove to Congress at 2:30 a.m. to vote (yeah uh-huh, right) and crashed his car. He admits being under the influence of two sleeping medications (two at once?!) but was allowed to drive home taken home. Us regular folks would have been taken directly to the emergency room for the medication combo alone, not to mention being ticketed for both crashes and getting a DUI citation, if nothing else. Along with the Kopechne family, among others, I want to know how did a "pass go" ticket got embedded in their family DNA?? Update: Although he says he remembers nothing of the May 3rd/4th accident, he managed to issue a statement that sure sounded like he knew what happened. Hey, maybe Uncle Ted actually wrote it! And now there's a rumor that he's checking (back?) into rehab. I guess he's testament to addiction being an illness, but how about some expression of responsibility too?

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 9:15 AM

Thursday, May 4, 2006
a-d-h-d or (just) r-u-d-e?
One of the blogs I enjoy reading is whine and cheese, for its amusing "take" on things. Besides, the author has a new Mini, so what else do you need to know?! Anyway, he went to a baseball game last night and concluded that huge numbers of the population either suffer from ADHD or are just amazingly rude. I love his question: "Do people really have other people in their lives that they absolutely, positively have to be able to call at any given moment? And do the people on the other end of the line really care what the caller is doing and/or where they are at any given moment?" I have had the same question about people on the train. It just baffles me. I mean, it's fun to chitchat at any time day or night, but you can whisper into a cellphone and be heard on the other end. Do they want the whole world to know everything about them?!

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Permalink | 3 comment(s) | posted by jau at 3:02 PM

spring
It's another lovely day in the northeast. We've had a real, and an enjoyable, spring this year. Dare I risk angering the weather gods by hoping for a pleasant summer now, too?

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 2:08 PM

speaking of dates
Today is an important anniversary for two literary reasons: (1) the 1939 publication of James Joyce's Finnegans Wake (which I confess I have not read and really really should read), and (2) the 1852 birth of Alice Liddell, the muse and inspiration for Alice in Wonderland without which most of our lives would be significantly sadder and poorer.

And while we're on the subject of dates, what was in the water in 1939? Films, books, architecture, fashion, painting and sculpture . . . output was enormous and quality was extraordinary. With all due deference and acknowledgement of the collective unconscious, could the impending war have exerted some magical, harbingal, precursive influence?

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 11:13 AM

Wednesday, May 3, 2006
fun with math redux
It happened this year in the U.S. on April 5th (4/5/6) and it's happening tomorrow in the UK and all countries that present their dates in date/month/year order. The delicious frenzy that those of us who love kooky numbers feel when a moment occurs with time and date all nice and neatly lined up: 01:02.03 on 04/05/06. And just in case you're not hooked on such jollities, read more here - and get all set for 02:03.04 on 05/06/07 or whatever variation(s) appeal to you (e.g. 06:07.08 on 08/07/06).

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 9:58 PM

idol5 (5 > 4)
I kind of liked last night because everyone did their own thing more than on theme nights so we heard something closer to real. I've been reading the blogs, however, and they are in total disagreement about the results. One wonders whether they saw the same show! DialIdol ranks Paris last and Katharine second-to-last, which is odd since Katharine was awesome according to all the assessers I've read and my own reaction. Joker's Updates liked Katharine, although less enthusastically than I, and concluded that Paris will go home tonight because she doesn't have a big/strong enough fan base. But MTV' s blog thinks Elliott will go because "[his] songs were average. And with five left, [he's] the only one who's not a star". As for Chris, I agree with MTV that "[h]e makes everything he sings sound the same and it's an uninteresting genre." Plus, I'm really not into him as the winner because although he's very likeable, his singing bores me. I prefer real rock or real pop to his semi-hemi-demi stuff.

Dial Idol results:
1. Taylor Hicks
2. Chris Daughtry
3. Elliott Yamin
4. Katharine McPhee
5. Paris Bennett

My preferences:
1. Katharine
2. Taylor
3. Elliott
4. Chris
5. Paris

My predictions:
1. Chris
2. Katharine
3. Taylor
4. Elliott
5. Paris

Actual results*:
1: Taylor
2: Chris
3: Katharine
4: Elliott
5: Paris

*(As far as we know since they don't publish actual numbers and only actually rank the bottom person.)
Everyone has assumed that the winner would be Chris with Katharine a close second, but Elliott's voice has held up (surprisingly) well and he's lasted so long, and Taylor has such a strong fan base, and Katharine always looks and sounds good. . . . MTV may be right that it's "looking more and more like Katharine and Taylor in the finale, and what a close race that would be." Closer than other pairings, actually. So whose albums would you buy? whose shows would you go to? (Update: Graceland next week. Will Elvis be there or has he left the building?)
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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 10:05 AM

Tuesday, May 2, 2006
homeschooling: microscope contest
A very cool contest is taking place on one of the interesting schooling blogs:
Spunky is giving away a Benz Microscope and Apologia Biology Set this week. Click here to get the details.
I highly recommend Spunky just for reading, anyway, but this makes a visit next to mandatory although words like "mandatory" are probably being expunged from educational dictionaries everywhere. (Two others very worth perusing are Why Homeschool and Homeschool Alumni.) Spunky's enthusiasm about learning is so infectious that, after reading her for a while, I often find myself wondering where I could find someone who would let me teach.

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 4:25 PM

arggh
Working on a Rowan pattern that has a charming twist and yarn-over at odd angles (it's called "A Fine Romance" and is in mag. no. 37 for those as cares). I cannot for the life of me get the hang of it. I go two or three rows just fine and then something in my count goes off. No doubt I will figure it out but how irritating!! (Please, feel free to share your own annoyance when you know you can figure it out, you just haven't gotten there yet.)

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 11:46 AM

Monday, May 1, 2006
n.z. bear
It's not stupid enough that it's an annoying ranking system which no bloggers I read like, and yet many of us can't bear (ha ha) not to know where we rank, so we use it. No, that's not bad enough. Now something's wrong with it and no page loads beyond where the www.truthlaidbear.com link appears so it has to be pulled for now. Grrrr. (Update 5/2/06 8:30 a.m. - Possibly sooner than this but anyway by now, they're back.)

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Permalink | 0 comment(s) | posted by jau at 12:42 PM

may 1st
May 1st traditionally is a big deal day politically and socially in many countries. In England, Germany, France, Spain and China, it's "Labor Day". In America, it's "Law Day" which was set up to balance/counter the really big Soviet Union May (Revolution) Day. And, of course, it's famously the beginning of spring, new life, all that.

So it's no surprise that today is the day for immigration activism across the country. (Nor that 12:16 is the time since December 16th was the day that Congress made illegal aliens felons as opposed to "not legal".) No matter how you word it or what you think, however, the point (made quite succinctly and clearly by Dadvocate) is that "immigrants aren't the problem, illegal immigration is, uncontrolled crossing of our borders is". In my opinion, there are no simple or obvious solutions on either side. But if you want to be part of the solution, call your Congressional representatives and your Senators (follow the links to yours).

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Permalink | 5 comment(s) | posted by jau at 9:16 AM